The Apprenticeship standard, developed by ceda Members, is now on to its third cohort, and the association is keen to see the next group of students be the largest yet!

Officially called the Commercial Catering Equipment Technicians Apprenticeship Standard (No. ST0791), the scheme has already seen two intakes since its launch in February 2020.

ceda, in partnership with ECTA Training are hosting a webinar for any business thinking about apprentice engineers.

The webinar will introduce the content of the standard and run through the delivery, eligibility, funding available etc.

Importantly, there will also be an Employer and current Apprentice on the panel discussing their experience of the programme.

The Webinar will take place at 10.30 am on Wednesday 4th May 2022 and is open to anyone in the industry. You DO NOT have to be a ceda Member company/employee to take part in the Apprenticeship or join the Webinar.

ceda’s Adam Mason said, “The shortage of commercial catering equipment engineers is a huge challenge – you only have to open your LinkedIn feed to see the reality that there are literally hundreds of vacancies. The standard was developed by the Industry, for the Industry and it now needs the Industry to recognise that they have to invest in bringing new people into their businesses and train them appropriately in order to ensure their future growth and sustainability. I look forward to welcoming people on May 4th and outlining in detail, how the process works, what funding is available and why this Apprenticeship standard is the way forward.”

Background

ceda’s Apprenticeship Standard was created by a Trailblazer group of ceda Members who recognised a qualification gap in the market. The Standard was developed to attract and retain the next generation of commercial catering engineers, helping to address a skills shortage the association fear is only likely to increase in the coming years.

Apprenticeships have been proven to increase staff productivity, improve staff retention and loyalty to that business. The Commercial Catering Equipment Technicians Apprenticeship Standard will enable the individuals to achieve nationally recognised formal qualifications, delivered through a highly supported, relevant, industry specific learning programme and equip them with the necessary skills to become excellent employees not just at the end but throughout their journey.

ceda’s Technical Support Manager Peter Kay has worked tirelessly to secure government funding to create this new Standard, working in partnership with ECTA Training, who will be delivering this 27-month programme.

The funding for the apprenticeship is £15,000 which covers the cost of all the training and the End Point Assessment.  Employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy (those with an annual payroll of less than £3 million) are entitled to 95% of the total funding and have to pay the balance of 5% (£750).  Employers who do pay the apprenticeship levy will be able to claim the full £15,000 from their levy account.

To make this viable, there needs to be a minimum of 20 new apprentices joining the next cohort.

The Standard will require the apprentices to attend ECTA’s Training Centre in Stockport, Greater Manchester, for one week every couple of months, which will then enable them to enter the concluding three-month End Point Assessment gateway. ceda are currently in talks with training providers in the South, as they look to maximise opportunity and minimise travel for Southern and Central businesses.

If you are interested in learning more about the Commercial Catering Equipment Technicians Apprenticeship Standard, please register for the FREE 1hr Webinar here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DXjIFWoxTyuPRodIswX5Uw

At MKN, we’re committed to supporting our valued distribution partners. That’s why we’re making changes to further enhance our service and standards.

New team structure, new ways to get in touch

We’ve appointed Richard Robinson as Business Development Manager and Donna Town as Sales & Marketing Assistant – two new starters to support grown, enhance sales and improve after-care service for you, our dealer network.

• Richard joins from Unox UK where he was active marketing chef. We now have
  dedicated BDMs for the North, South and South West & Wales regions.
• Donna has 25 years of experience in retail and customer service. She will provide a
  link on sales and operational matters between the MKN factory in Germany and our
  UK customer base.

You can contact them using the following email addresses:

Richard Robinson robi@mknuk.co.uk
Donna Town doto@mknuk.co.uk

We’ve also introduced a dedicated UK landline for incoming service calls and warranty management. If you have any queries on service, maintenance or warranty issues, call 01329 757890.

New MKN Digital Centre

We’ve also launched a new digital broadcast studio, including an integrated show kitchen, to raise the standard of our digital customer support materials.

Online training and support materials will now be filmed, produced and streamed around the world from the state-of-the-art MKN Digital Centre in Germany. This includes livestreams, cooking shows, expert talks, webinars and podcasts, individual training courses and digital seminars.

The technology will enable you to ask questions and request technical details in real time and face-to-face.

Read more about the new Digital Centre here.

Get in touch

To speak to our team about MKN’s professional cooking technology, get in touch. Visit www.mkn.com or call 01329 757890.

Hello and a warm welcome to this month’s edition of connected, and ceda’s 50th anniversary year!

In this landmark year for the association, we’ve got lots to share and celebrate with you. In each edition of connected in 2022 we’ll be reliving ceda’s past, decade by decade, capturing the key events and developments in our history.

On pages 5 and 6 you’ll find a fascinating timeline of ceda over the last 50 years, including some grainy but wonderful images from the very first ceda council meeting and AGM, as well as our very first logo!

This month’s edition also includes details of the Commercial Catering Equipment and Hospitality Industry Walking Group, something many of you will already be familiar with and may have taken part in. Organisers Nick Archer and James Connolly tell us more about the independent well-being group, and how you can join in.

There’s also a write-up on this year’s Northern Restaurant & Bar show and a recap on The Northern Hospitality Scene from the ceda Conference.

We delve into what it means to be sustainable, and how that translates to our sector and there’s an educational piece on SEO (search engine optimisation).

We hope you enjoy this issue of connected and we welcome your feedback and contributions for future editions.

Maidaid are delighted to see that normality is definitely returning. Through hard work, strategic buying and utilizing our warehouse space we have increased our stock holding by more than 25%.

This enables us to meet current demands and continue to support our distributors in anyway we can.

Not only have we increased our stock holding we have also added to our core team here in Brackley, with new people joining throughout the business and the creation of new roles we’ve been able to maintain and enhance our high level of customer service and support.

As a result of the above we are delighted to be able to offer stock and continue same day dispatch across our product ranges.

Adande is pleased to introduce its new, super energy efficient, open display cabinet for retailers and food service operators.

Adande introduces next generation hold-the-cold refrigeration for hospitality, with its new BORA open-display refrigerated cabinet. The integral cabinet brings a new level of energy efficiency to open units of this type with the BORA achieving a B energy class rating, a rating only seen, until now, on refrigeration complete with glass doors. The energy efficiency achieved can save operators up to £1000 per year in electricity alone, per cabinet, compared to other existing open-display units. The Bora helps any company that sells chilled produce reduce their carbon footprint thereby supporting sustainability goals.

Borne of Adande DNA, the Bora like all Adande refrigeration, ‘Holds-the-Cold’. Powered by Adande’s Aircell patented air management technology, the new  cabinet consistently holds the cold air in place, barring it from falling out. This delivers both a stable temperature and precisely controlled humidity which keeps food fresher for longer, reducing food waste.

The energy efficiency and advanced design of the unit, combined with use of a natural refrigerant, R290, means the Bora has one of the lowest impacts on the  environment of any modern refrigerated cabinet.  

In what is yet more good news for operators, the Bora also holds more produce and has high merchandising capacity for its footprint. It has been designed for  convenience at every level with the unit fitting comfortably under a standard door frame, making transport easier. The Bora has also been designed to be a low maintenance refrigerator and as such it contains a reversing fan which keeps the condenser clean to maintain operating performance.  

The cabinet comes in a black or stainless-steel finish (a white finish is also available). Customers may also choose from a wider range of colours, to match a  company’s brand colours or product promotion, for example.

Global Sales Director, Karl Hodgson: “We are really pleased to be able to launch today the new Bora open-display cabinet. The B energy class label rating is a  concrete achievement and leads the way for UK retail refrigeration. I thank all of the  team at Adande for their work to develop it into the best open-display cabinet on  the market. It will undoubtedly save money for customers, in electricity, food waste, and maintenance costs, plus help increase revenue with its large display areas and open-access for shoppers and buyers. I am thrilled that the HRC show is the first venue we can show it, given its suitability to hotels, and restaurants alike. We are taking orders at the show, so do come and see us on stand 419.”  

The Bora is available to order from today, and will now replace the Adande Sarma cabinet. The Bora range qualifies for the super deduction tax scheme introduced  last year by the UK government. See www.gov.uk/guidance/super-deduction for details. 

Since opening its first UK store in 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic, healthy fast food and casual dining chain, Kauai has served over 200,000 customers at their Edinburgh store. Despite such significant customer footfall, not one of their staff has caught Covid during this time. This is not however, purely down to luck but, according to their recent Tweet, the investment that they made in HyGenikx; the air and surface sanitisation system from Mechline, which has helped to protect staff, despite serving 200,000+ customers.

“We opened KAUAI into Edinburgh during pandemic Aug 2020. After serving more than 200,000 customers no one has caught COVID at @KauaiUK. Kauai have 9 Mechline HyGenikx machines that destroy RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.”
– @KauaiUK

Nick Falco Product & Technical Director at Mechline commented:

“It’s great to hear that HyGenikx is helping to protect and reassure staff and customers 24/7 at leading operators like Kauai – and it is essential to the whole economy that we keep the doors of business open. Unfortunately, physically keeping the doors and windows open is not so great when it comes to customer comfort and sustainability in the colder winter months.

“Indoor air quality is a primary driver when it comes to the transmission of Coronavirus. As a tried and tested technology, HyGenikx has a huge role to play in controlling infections – in fact, we believe HyGenikx is the most rigorously tested unit of its type on the market. Affordable and easy to install, HyGenikx is a plug and play solution for a challenging world.”

The Kauai team installed nine HyGenikx units throughout the Edinburgh store where James Wilson, Managing Director at Kauai UK believes its absentee record and food shelf-life bears witness to the effectiveness of HyGenikx, as he explains:

“We have four HyGenikx units front of house, two in the kitchen and one in each toilet, to help protect all areas, staff and customers, and so far, our staff have reported no viral illnesses. Our air is permanently cleansed, and, without question, HyGenikx has helped us maintain a healthy work environment.

“We have also noticed that ingredients are lasting longer. Front of house we have a display kitchen where fresh food is made from scratch and people can watch it being made. Our ingredients are certainly keeping for longer than you would expect, and I believe it is down to the fact we have the HyGenikx machine. Mechline products are certainly going into the next Kauai store!”

The Kauai endorsement for HyGenikx follows independent laboratory trials conducted by Campden BRI, which confirmed that HyGenikx is effective at removing airborne Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 which causes Covid-19 – as the results of the trials proved that HyGenikx removed up to 99.99% of an airborne Covid-19 surrogate.*

HyGenikx is a revolutionary wall-mounted air and surface sanitisation system which is proven to quietly and efficiently eradicate bacteria, viruses and microbes on contact — providing 24/7 hygiene and safety protection without the need for human intervention. It improves infection control for staff and customers, neutralises all odours and is also proven to reduce spoilage by extending the shelf-life of perishable food on average by 58%, and up to 150% for certain produce.**

The HyGenikx range has models to suit every business from restaurants to bars, hotels, care homes and offices – with specialised units available for food preparation areas, cold rooms, washrooms and refuse areas.

*For more information on the HyGenikx testing at Campden BRI visit: https://info.mechline.com/hygenikx-testing/

**For more information on the ALS fresh food shelf life study visit: https://www.mechline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HyGenikx-Success-Story_-Testing-_-SHELF-LIFE.pdf

21-23 March – ExCeL London

Mechline Developments will be showcasing a range of innovative hygiene and FOGS (Fats, Oils, Grease and Starches) management solutions at HRC to help foodservice and hospitality operators move forward with confidence, as we embrace living with Covid.

HyGenikx – tested and effective air and surface sanitisation 

One of the highlights on the Mechline stand (P450) will be the HyGenikx air and surface sanitisation system, which was awarded ‘Hygiene Product of the Year’ in The Caterer Supplier Awards. The Caterer accolade follows independent laboratory trials conducted by Campden BRI which confirmed that HyGenikx is effective at removing airborne Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 which causes Covid-19. The results of the trials proved that HyGenikx removed up to 99.99% of an airborne Covid-19 surrogate.*

HyGenikx is also proven to neutralise odours and to reduce spoilage by extending the shelf-life of perishable food on average by 58%, and up to 150% for certain produce** – and so offers an attractive combination of benefits for operators as Nick Falco, Product and Technical Director at Mechline explains:

“As a tried and tested technology, HyGenikx has a huge role to play in controlling infection and maintaining hygiene standards, as indoor air quality remains a primary driver when it comes to the transmission of Coronavirus. In fact, we believe HyGenikx is the most rigorously tested unit of its type on the market. Affordable and easy to install, HyGenikx is a plug and play solution which offers 24/7 protection. Importantly, it enables operators to look ahead with confidence as we get on with business and learn to live with Covid.”

Stay compliant with FOGS Management Solutions

Visitors to stand P450 can find out more about Mechline’s comprehensive, 4-step FOGS management solution which includes: assessing the FOGS management needs of a venue; selecting the correct equipment; installation, commissioning and training, followed by ongoing service and support – all with the aim of ensuring that commercial kitchens stay compliant with UK regulations.

Mechline’s team will also be showcasing three products which can seamlessly integrate to create the ultimate FOGS management solution. Firstly, Mechline’s easy-to-use Food Waste Strainer, with its innovative basket design, reduces the build-up of food waste sediment in the drainage system. In addition, Mechline’s BioCeptor system combines GreasePak’s proven biological treatment solution, with the FOG Intercept and Treatment unit (F.I.T) which retains and breaks down FOGS – preventing them from entering drainage systems. It combines the traditional principles of entrapment and retention, with the natural process of bioremediation, to permanently degrade FOGS onsite. When used together Mechline’s Food Waste Strainer and BioCeptor system can prolong intervals between servicing in comparison to a standalone grease trap.

With a range of market leading solutions to help operators improve air quality, enhance hygiene standards, optimise efficiency and remain compliant – a visit to the Mechline stand (P450) will be time well spent.

*For more information on the HyGenikx testing at Campden BRI visit: https://info.mechline.com/hygenikx-testing

**For more information on the ALS fresh food shelf-life study visit:https://www.mechline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HyGenikx-Success-Story_-Testing-_-SHELF-LIFE.pdf

WaterCare was recently awarded multiple ISO certifications in recognition of their management systems.

The company management systems that WaterCare have in place were audited against a range of criteria by the British Assessment Bureau, a respected UKAS accredited certification body. As a result, they have been awarded three certifications in demonstration of exceeding the guidelines, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

Achieving their ISO Standards in not 1, but 3 different categories demonstrates their commitment to going above and beyond for quality and detail in all their products and services. WaterCare’s clients, candidates and team members can be confident that they’re keeping themselves to a high-standard and that their compliance operation is world-class.

What ISO Certifications Did WaterCare Achieve?

WaterCare’s management system was tested against a range of criteria, leading to the awarding of certification in three standards:

ISO 9001: 2015 – Quality Management System. Proving our commitment to quality in everything that we do.

ISO 14001: 2015 – Environmental Management. Proving our commitment to the environment and a better world for the future in everything that we do.

ISO 45001: 2018 – Occupational Health and Safety. Proving our commitment to our candidates and team members’ safety in everything that we do.

What are International Standards Organization Standards?

ISO standards are an agreed set of criteria internationally agreed upon by experts. Managed and governed by the International Standards Organisation, certification against these criteria can be achieved by business globally, providing that they meet the standard’s criteria. These standards can be for a range of activities, such as delivering service, caring for the environment or managing people’s data.

For more information on the International Standards Organisation and the standards can be found here.